Answering 'Who said this, to whom, and when?'
An extract written for practice by RCF English:
"Keep the change," said the old man, pressing the coin back into the boy's hand. "You carried my bag all the way from the market. That is worth more than a bus fare."
Imagine this extract is from a short story you have studied.
(a) Who is speaking, and to whom?
(b) What has just happened?
(c) What does this speech show about the speaker's character?
Show the model answer
(a) The old man is speaking to the boy.
(b) The boy has carried the old man's bag from the market and has tried to return a coin, which the old man presses back into his hand.
(c) The old man is grateful and generous. He values the boy's effort more than money, saying that the help is worth more than a bus fare, and he insists on rewarding him rather than accepting the coin back.
How it would be marked
Parts (a) and (b) want precise facts: names (or clear descriptions), and the situation immediately before the words. Long background retelling wastes time.
Part (c) carries the most credit. Give a quality (generous, grateful), then evidence from the extract, then a brief explanation.
In the examination, use the characters' names and the situation from your prescribed text. This practice extract is original so that the technique can be shown without reproducing any set text.
Marking notes written by RCF English to explain what earns credit. They are not an official marking scheme.